Former Telco FCU President Faces 30 Years, $1 Million Fine for Fixing Books

A former New York credit union executive faces up to 30 years in federal prison and a fine of $1 million after pleading guilty last week to bank fraud charges in U.S. District Court in Rochester, N.Y.

Donna Harabin, 61, who resides in Clearwater, Fla., pleaded guilty Sept. 19 to making false credit institution entries at the former Telco FCU of Elmira, NY, according to the FBI and the U. S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Lee, who is handling the case, said Harabin, who was president and manager of Telco in 2008, changed the due dates and entered false payments to conceal from examiners the fact that 75% of the credit union’s 179 loans were delinquent.

She often would change the dates of delinquency on loans she knew were going to be foreclosed upon or repossessed in order to make them appear more current, according to court records.

The scheme was discovered in 2008, following a FBI investigation, according to the U.S. Attorney General’s Office.